Loyalties
by Romantic Dreamer13
Summary: A year after his coronation, King Ben decides it's time to let more children from the Island attend the school. Three boys and three girls will arrive, and their loyalties to their parents will be tested. SYOC closed.
1. One Year

**Chapter 1: One Year**

One year. One year today, Mal and her friends had turned their back on their parents and their friends, Ben had become King, and Auradon had begun to finally accept them. Evie and Doug began to date after a few of their study sessions together revealed some feeling for each other, Jay became MVP for his tourney team, with a promising sports scholarship to the most prestigious university in Auradon and a spot on their team, and Carlos had begun a small dog walking business after he found that it wasn't only Dude who was a good dog, but most of the dogs on Auradon as well. In fact Roger and Anita quickly became his favorite customers, as he quickly grew close with the offspring of the originally 101 Dalmatian puppies his mother had pursued.

And Mal? Well she was doing just fine. She smirked to herself as she entered the Great Hall of Beast's castle. She and Ben had grown even closer than ever and where rarely apart. In fact, today she had decided to surprise him in honor of the one year anniversary of his coronation and her "goodness".

She was directed to the library by Chip, where she found Ben sitting one of the armchairs, lost in thought. She crept up behind him, covering his eyes. "Guess who?"

"Ugh, Carlos?" Ben laughed, pulling her hands down from his face. He looked up at her, grining. "Well hello there. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

She smiled. He was perfect and wonderful and dorky and everything she never knew she wanted in a guy. She rested her chin on his head and sighed, "Oh no reason, just dying of boredom over at the school and I thought I'd borrow you for a bit."

He laughed. "How's it going over there anyhow?"

"Oh you know, same old same old. Decorations for graduation are starting to appear, Evie's got a line of girls begging to have her design their graduation gowns, and Jay's beginning to freak out about leaving Auradon Prep. Just a couple more weeks now." She saw the concerned look he gave her. "Oh he'll be fine, he's just worried about not seeing us every day. We've barely been apart for so long before. But we've already promised him that we'd come to every single one of his tourney games."

She got up and walked over to the table in front of Ben, thumbing through the books that had been left there. "Had to believe that it's almost our senior year, huh?"

"Yeah," Ben trailed off, staring at the wall above her.

"Wait, I know that look." Mal waved her hand in front of his face. "Ben, what are you planning?

Ben sighed. He needed to tell someone anyhow and Mal would understand the most. "I want to bring more children over from the island." Mal continued to look at him, saying nothing. "I mean it's time right? It's been a year since my coronation, and you four have more than proven yourselves since that time. And we'll graduate before we know it. I need to do something before that. When I made my proclamation, I wanted it to be eventually extended to all of the children. They deserve a chance too, don't they?"

Ben slumped back down into his seat, head in his hands. He hadn't even followed through with that wish yet. A year had gone by, and he had done nothing. He was king! He should have brought more kids over, he could have helped them, he could have…

Mal's hand on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see her perched on the arm of the chair. "You're right." A smile spread across his face. "But," she held up a hand, "we are not bringing all of them over at once."

"Of course."

"And you need to keep an eye on them. More than likely their parents will want them to continue with their evil plans." Mal scoffed, remembering her own "failed" attempted. "But no unnecessary restrictions. We want them to see that they have to choice to be good. Life on the island is hard for a lot of them, let's show them that they are not their parents."

"You're amazing you know that right?" Ben pulled her into his lap as she giggled.

"And one last thing." She looked him dead in the eyes. "They are to start school at the beginning of the year, understood? Having to jump in in the middle like that was not enjoyable, got it mister?"

"I love you," Ben buried his face into her hair, laughing. They stayed there in the embrace for a bit, before Mal got up and began to search the bookshelf for something.

His surprise would have to wait till another day, she thought. "Well, that means we have until the end of the summer to figure this all out then."

"We?" Ben followed her to the book shelf.

"Of course. You didn't think you'd be alone in this would you? Besides," she said, picking a book off from the shelf, "you'll need my expertise."

Ben chuckled and shook his head at her. Where would he be without her? He plucked the book out of her hand, labeled _Villain Registry_ , and began to flip through it. She pouted at him before heading to one of the tables in the library. "Then," Ben said, following her, "we better get started."

* * *

 **Months Later**

LeFou's was a dingy tavern located at the heart of the island, where customes tried to drink their endless troubles away. LeFou had opened it a few years into his stay on the island, deciding that they needed to have at least one enjoyable place on the piece of shit rock they had been forced to live on. Gaston had greatly supported the idea, encouraging many to pitch in and make the place a reality. Soon the tavern was open, with LeFou and Gaston as business partners. LeFou had insisted they name the place after Gaston, since he was the reason the place now existed, plus he assumed that's how it would be anyways, since Gaston always demanded to be the center of attention. But, in an extremely rare act of humility, Gaston insisted they name the tavern after LeFou, the one who had the wish to open the tavern in the first place. So now they ran the tavern together, Gaston handling the drinks and the customers and LeFou handling the book keeping and other such business affairs Gaston couldn't be bothered to deal with.

Over the years, the tavern became a sort of haven for people to laugh their troubles away, and Gaston was more than happy to entertain them. He had managed to get a hold of his old hunting trophies and the now decorated the walls, giving the place a sort of warm feeling. It had become Gaston's pride and joy.

Speaking of "pride and joy", that's where Helen LaRue found herself one fateful Friday night. She had begun working there as soon as she entered her freshmen year, serving drinks to the drunk customers and helping LeFou with the book keeping. It wasn't the best job, with late nights, demanding customers, and her over demanding father who believed that she should focus more on the tavern than on her pointless schoolwork. But she managed as well as she could. She wanted to please her father, as much as he never really seemed to care.

It was no secret that Gaston had wanted a son, but instead he was stuck with Helen. While disappointed, it didn't stop him from teaching her everything he felt she needed to know about hunting and bar keeping. But on those late nights when Gaston was finally drunk after drinking with customers, he would lament about how her mother had never given him a son before she left. It hurt, but Helen knew he secretly cared for her, as every time one of the customers became too rowdy or inappropriate with her, Gaston would quickly remind him of his place and the advances would stop.

The tavern was reaching its closing hours of the night, the crowd beginning to dwindle and leave. Only a few stragglers were left behind. Helen, now 17 years old, continued to clean the empty tables around them, counting down the minutes till closing. Her father was busy drinking with a group of his friends and LeFou had gone to meet with his Auradon smuggler about the next shipment. Helen pushed her brown hair back over her shoulder, wishing she had remembered her ponytail holder. She had been in a rush to make it to work on time and had left it in her room, and now her hair kept getting in the way. She sighed, looking at all of the work that still needed to be done before closing.

Suddenly LeFou burst through the door, scanning the tavern until he saw Gaston.

"Gaston! Gaston! You'll never believe this!" He ran over to the table, slamming his hands down.

"What, what LeFou! Can't you see I'm busy?" Gaston laughed, taking another chug of his mug.

"The King has made another proclamation. He says that more children are to come over from here and attend Auradon Prep!" LeFou pulled Gaston's drink down, a rare and dangerous move on his part. "The King's supposed to announce it tomorrow to the island, but my smuggler told me."

Gaston ripped his drink away from LeFou's grasp. "Yeah, what of it?"

"Rumor is your daughter has been selected!"

Helen's head snapped up. Had she heard right? Was she leaving the island? She had figured that after the events of the coronation, no other child from the Isle of the Lost would ever be allowed off. But could this be? She looked at her father, apprehensive of his response. Would he be upset?

But instead a huge grin broke out across his face and he let out a hearty laugh. "Well would you look at that. Helen!" He waved her over. "It's like I always said boys, those royals can never get enough of us LeRues!"

Helen made her way over, surprised. He wanted her to go?

"Helen!" He grabbed her into a tight side hug, "Go show those fools what they're missing. Do us proud."

"You really want me to go?" she asked.

"Of course! Us LeRues should be worshiped and we need to remind them of that." Oh, of course there was some sort of revenge motive behind this, but regardless it meant she would get to leave.

"Of course father! We'll show them!" She hugged him, grinning. He seemed slightly uncomfortable, but returned the hug.

"Good. Now quick," he pushed her back and lifted his mug into the air, "another round of drinks to celebrate!" There were cheers all around.

Helen smiled to herself and shook her head. Her father would never really change, but honestly that was alright. As she prepared the beers, she couldn't help but feel excited. Auradon, the home of the heroes and magic. And soon, just like her father wanted, the people there would regret turning their backs on them.

* * *

 **Here we go! Thank you so much to everyone who submitted a character. I had some many great choices, but unfortunately I couldn't pick them all. I hoping for maybe cameos at one point, but we'll see what happens. A list of characters can be found on my profile.**

 **I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. Let the testing of loyalties begin!**


	2. The Underworld

Sure enough, the next morning royal messengers, accompanied by the guard, made their way to the Isle of the Lost, with each heading towards a separate destination. One to the rose gardens, one to the tavern, one to the old manufacturing warehouse, one to Dragon Hall, and one to a camp on the outskirts of the forest.

The one place they couldn't reach was the Underworld. Only a few people could enter and leave there, and only with special permission from Zeus. Ever since Hades was defeated at the hands of Hercules, Zeus had ordered that he was to remain in there for all of eternity, forced to tend to his kingdom and barred from his chance at revenge. He spent his days sulking around, taking his rage out on Pain and Panic, and ignoring his duties as ruler. The only person who was allowed to leave was his wife Persephone. When Zeus had sentenced Hades to his imprisonment, he gave her the chance to leave for good. But she declined. The truth was she had begun to enjoy being queen. And while Hades might have not been the ideal husband, he still had his moments. So Persephone stayed. But like before, her mother Demeter had demanded that she only remain there during autumn and winter. Hermes was also allowed to come and go as he please, but he only came when he had a message to deliver to Persephone or when he wanted to push Hades to his breaking point just for fun.

Since Hades had long ago abandoned his duties as ruler of the Underworld, Persephone took over. She turned the Underworld into a marvelous place with strict punishments for those who deserved it, and eternal happiness for the rest. And just like the people of Earth mourned her absence during the fall and winter, the citizens of the Underworld did the same during spring and summer. But even then, Persephone was lonely. The only ones in the Underworld who weren't dead consisted of her sulking husband, his dimwitted minions, and the creepy Fates. She needed companionship, someone to love and cherish. She needed a child.

And so Azure was born, inheriting her mother's pale skin tone (she was secretly thankful for that, having a child born with blue skin was frightening for new mothers, fearing their child had asphyxiated), and her father's honey colored eyes. What she found most amusing about her new daughter was the tuft of blue hair that sat upon her head. She cherished her new daughter, spoiling her and taking her wherever she could. The one place Azure could not go, however, was outside the Underworld. Zeus was convinced that any child of Hades would grow up to be just as evil as he was, so Azure was banned from leaving. Persephone and Demeter had both plead with the god to change his mind, but Zeus refused to budge. So every spring and summer, Persephone was forced to leave her baby in the hands of her husband.

Hades had no idea how to properly raise a child and in all honesty didn't really want anything to do with her. Screaming brats were a distraction from his revenge plotting. So Pain and Panic were tasked with caring for Azure, though they were not very competent. It is believed that the only reason Azure survived past childhood was because sympathetic citizens of the Underworld would give a hand every now and then.

That's how Azure's life went. In the fall and winter, her mother was there to see to her every need, and during the rest of the seasons she was handed over to the bumbling minions. As she grew, more of her inherited traits began to manifest. Persephone was horrified one night to find her 5 year old playing with small blue flames. Luckily they were harmless, and Azure soon was able to master this new ability. She had also seem to inherit her father's temper and sarcasm. And though Persephone showered her with love and affection, Azure always longed for her father's attention, so as she grew older she began to follow him around, hoping that one day he would finally speak to her. At first Hades found this new habit annoying, hoping that the little squirt would tire easily and leave him alone. But Azure persisted, asking him questions about his past and his schemes. Hades found her curiosity amusing and soon his scheming brain had realized that one day she might become useful. Persephone was still trying to convince Zeus to release Azure and one day she might succeed. And so Hades took his daughter under his wing, training her in tactics and revenge plots whenever his wife was away, making Azure promise to keep this a secret between the two of them. Azure was thrilled that she finally had her father's attention. Stories were told of the wicked Hercules who had stolen Hade's rightful throne from him and turned all of the gods away from him. How he and Zeus were the reason Azure could never leave with her mother. Azure grew bitter and resentful at these gods. How dare they do this to her father! Hades almost screamed with delight when Azure had destroyed one of the remaining Hercules action figures Pain had managed to hide away.

As the years passed, Hades soon gave up on his daughter being able to leave the Underworld and conduct his revenge for him, and returned to his old schemes, once again ignoring her. Desperate for his attention Azure did all she could, from torturing his minions to even becoming cold and distant towards her mother, believing that if she detached herself from anything good or light, Hades would return. Persephone was heartbroken, but knew that one day her daughter would return to her, she just wasn't sure when.

* * *

Now, at seventeen, Azure had grown into a bright, though still sarcastic and hot tempered, young woman. She was a beautiful sight to behold, with high cheek bones and a strong jawline. Her almond shaped eyes and full arched eyebrows gave her the appearance of looking pissed off at the world, which in some cases was true. But mostly, Azure didn't care. She had all but given up on her father, but was too proud to rekindle her relationship with her mother. Instead she spent her days talking with the citizens of the Underworld or tormenting Pain and Panic. It was a bit of a dull life, but she became used to it. Nothing was ever going to change, she thought. She was going to be stuck here forever. Or so she thought. It wasn't until late that summer that her life began to change.

She was tending to the pomegranate garden, her mother's favorite spot oddly enough, when she heard the distinctive popping sound that meant they had a visitor. Curiously, she left the garden and entered the throne room to find Hermes, buzzing around.

"Why, Hermes," she mockingly bowed towards him, "to what do we owe this great pleasure?"

"Kiddo! Hey how you doin'? I see you guys haven't done much decorating down here." Hermes flew over, hovering slightly in front of her. "Is Hades here? I mean well of course he is, he can't leave. But where is he? I have word from Zeus."

"And to what does the great and mighty Zeus want from us?" She grinned.

"You know kid, I like you. Reminds me of me when I was younger." He sped off towards her father's private chambers. "He's this way right?"

"Wait!" She raced after him, trying to keep up. "He doesn't like anyone bothering him!"

"Oh I know!" He quickly stopped in front of the large intricate doors of Hade's chambers. "That's why I'm going in!" He pushed open the doors with a great shove. "Oh Hades! Guess who's here?" He sang out. There was a resulting crash off in one of the adjacent rooms followed by the red glow of a brief fire.

Azure sighed. Her father was not pleased at all by Hermes' presence. She made to leave, but Hermes stopped her. "Oh no kiddo, I need you here too." She stopped, puzzled.

"What now!" Hades made his way into the room, the flame on his head growing larger, with hints of red beginning to show. "What is so important?"

"I have word from Zeus…"

"Oh do you now? That's great. Make sure to let him know that it's absolutely just great down here, you know surrounded by dead people and such. I love never leaving here. Who'd ever want to leave?" Hades began to walk away.

Hermes ignored him, flying ahead of him to stop him. "It's about your daughter."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, it seems that King Ben of Audaron has decreased that some more children from the Isle of the Lost be sent over for school. And your daughter had been selected."

This stopped Hades. Already he was using this new information to formulate a new plan. Azure on the other hand was shocked. She was allowed to leave? She could leave the Underworld? She glanced at her father, who now was sporting a sickly smile. "Oh, really?" he asked, facing the messenger god.

Hermes didn't seem to notice. He continued, "Yeah, Zeus wasn't happy about it. Almost struck the poor guy with lightening. But we did decided to abide to a high king, and it's the kid now so," he pointed at Azure with his staff, "you are to report to Auradon Prep in two weeks."

Azure had never been to a school before. Sure her mother and some of the citizens had educated her so she was probably already prepared, but still the idea of it kind of excited and frightened her at the same time.

"Well thank you so much for this news," Hades began pushing Hermes out the door. "Make sure to tell King what's-his-face that of course Azure will be there. Wouldn't miss it for the world! Now bye-bye now." He slammed the doors in the god's face, waiting for the distinctive popping noise before turning to his daughter. "Here that? You get to leave here. And do you know what that means?"

All those years of learning revenge tactics came back to her. She chuckled, "Time to get our revenge, isn't it dad."

He laughed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Oh this is going to be perfect! Just perfect."

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying it so far. I'm working on these chapters whenever I get a chance, but I do have to schedule around work. I am trying to get these out as fast as possible!**

 **I know this chapter is probably a little short. I did want to go further, and actually have all of the villains get together to start planning, but I'm going to have to hold off on that until the next chapter.**

 **Again, thanks for all of the submissions. These characters are so much fun and it's amazing the story lines I've begun to come up with for them. I can't wait for you all to see it.**

 **Sorry for any spelling mistakes and I hope to have the next chapter up soon!**


	3. Plans

LeFou's closed early that night. When patrons complained, Gaston promised all of them a round of free drinks if they would just leave, just for tonight. Slightly satisfied, they left, leaving Gaston alone in the empty tavern. As soon as each villain had received the proclamation, Dr. Facilier had sent out a formal request for everyone to meet in secret tonight and Gaston suggested that they use the tavern. He was expecting them at any moment now, and quickly prepared a table and drinks for all of them.

The first to arrive was Shan Yu. He merely grunted at Gaston's greeting before taking his seat and staring curiously at his ale. He took a sip, before pushing it away in disgust. Gaston pretended not to notice. Next came Robert Callaghan, looking slightly tired and annoyed at needing to show up. He slumped down into an open seat and began to chug his drink. Gaston's eyes widened in approval. He had regonized the man as a customer, but he had never seen this before. He would have to take this man up on a drinking challenge one day. They all sat there in a rather awkward silence, until Dr. Facilier kicked open the door, a laptop in his hand.

"Gentlemen, why all the glum? We should be celebrating!" He twirled his chair around, before plopping down, resting his elbows on the back of his seat.

"Celebrating?" Callaghan grunted. "Celebrating what exactly?"

"Why our chance at revenge!" Dr. Facilier placed the laptop down, and opened it, turning on the Skype cam. "Hades! You still there?"

The screen slowly flickered to live, Hades could be seen, peering closely into the camera. "Doc? You there? Is this thing on?" The screen flickered to black again.

After a couple of minutes of tinkering, and a disgruntled sigh from Shan Yu, the Skype call finally began to work.

"Finally," Hades threw his hands up in the air. "Power of the gods and I can't even get this stupid thing to work properly.

"I'm surprised you even have internet down there." Gaston said, filling up a new mug for Callaghan.

"Seph insisted that we get it so she could keep in contact with her mother." Hades waved it off. :But never mind that. Where's Miss Queeny?"

"Probably being fashionably late as usual," Dr. Facilier said, taking a sip from his mug.

No sooner than he had that that, the door was kicked open. The Queen of Hearts bustled forward, signaling for her two card guards to wait outside the door. It would seem that Dr. Facilier's warning about subtlety had gone over her head. Gaston look a good look at her. The island hadn't truly treated her well (then again it hadn't treated any of them well). Her once regal gown was tattered and stitched back together in many places and her crown sat on top her grey streaked hair. Age was not treating many of them well, Dr. Facilier the worst. The barrier around the island had cut off his connection to his spirit friends and therefore his secret to his youthful look. He sported the most bags and his hair was now completely grey. Gaston and the rest had managed to get away with greying hair. Well except for Callaghan, whom Gaston had just always assumed was old.

"Ah Your Majesty," Dr. Facilier greeted, pulling out a chair for here. "So glad you could finally join us."

She merely glared at him, before plopping down in her. "Well I'm here now. What could you possibly want?"

Dr. Facilier stood before the group, hands clasped in front of him. "As you all know, we have been gifted with an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Our children now have the chance to avenge us against those oh so high and mighty heroes. They can free us and we can have everything we ever wanted. Our youth, our power, our rights as the villains to strike fear into the hearts of those who are now currently laughing at us." He slammed his fist down on the table. "They forced us here, while they all get to sit in their cushy towers and gloat at us." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Our time has finally come."

"Yes but how?" Shan Yu finally spoke. "The last group already tried that, and looked how that turned out." A moment was taken as everyone remembered the children's betrayal.

"Our children are better," The Queen of Hears stated, crossing her arms. "My son and I may have our differences, but he would never turn against me.

"Just like your husband wouldn't?" Callaghan smirked, raising his glass to his lips.

The Queen's face began to turn bright red and Gaston swore he saw steam coming out of her ear. "How dare you!"

She made to stand up, but Dr. Facilier stopped her, placing his arm in front of her. "Everyone, please, relax. We're all friends here."

Callaghan laughed. "Friends? Really?" He stood up. "Look I don't really care what you do here, but I want no part of it." He began to leave.

"And miss your chance at revenge?" Dr. Facilier asked.

"I don't need any revenge. I set out to avenge my daughter. Instead I made her ashamed of me. I am not like you." And with that, Callaghan left.

There was a moment of stunned silence before Hades broke it. "He sounds just like one of those heroes. Oh well, who needs him."

"But we might need his son." Dr. Facilier sat down, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "I can get my daughter to persuade him.

Gaston let out a hearty laugh. "Then we're set. Our children will help us. Now we just need a plan."

"And I have one," Dr. Facilier said, leaning forward on his chair. "Maleficent is still in Auradon. We all saw what happened to her, but she is our key to winning. Now I have been training my daughter in the way of Voodoo, and once she leaves the island, her full power will be unlocked. She will be able to restore Maleficent to her full power."

"And Malefiecent's simply going to help us?" Shan Yu asked.

"She'll want revenge! Why wouldn't she help us? And if for some reason she decides not to," he pulled a vial filled with a swirling yellow liquid, "we have this. Whoever drinks this will be placed under control of the nearest Voodoo master."

"Your daughter?" Gaston asked?

"I have prepared her in every way." Dr. Facilier tucked the vial away. "Just think of it, soon power will be ours!"

"That's great and all, but what about me?" Gaston's attention snapped back to the laptop. He was so engrossed in Facilier's plan that he had forgotten about the god.

"Well, what about you?" he asked.

"I'll still be stuck down here. Someone has to release me." Hades squinted at Gaston. "Or were you planning on leaving me down here?"

"Of course not my friend!" Faciler quickly intervened. "We'll simply get our children to free you."

"Not as simple as that. Someone with the blood of an Olympian god must sit on Zeus's throne and order for me to be released."

Dr. Facilier thought for a moment. "A few gods should be no problem for a dragon. We'll get you free, don't worry."

Hades, seemingly content, nodded his head. "So we have a plan?"

"I believe we do." Dr. Facilier grinned. He raised his mug high in the air. "To freedom!"

"To freedom!" They all joined in and clinked their mugs (sans Hades of course) and began to laugh. Auradon wouldn't stand a chance.

* * *

Axel sat on the curb outside of the abandoned factory, waiting for his father. He was supposed to meet the rest of the kids and their parents at the broken bridge at the end of the island for the limo to pick them up. But as usually, Robert Callaghan was taking his time. Yes the years had been hard on the old man, slowing his gait and forcing him to walk with a cane, but Axel knew that wasn't what was keeping him up. Ever since Callaghan was sent to the island, he had fallen into a drunken depression. He had worked so hard to avenge the death of his daughter, only to find that she had been alive the whole time. He only managed to get a quick glimpse of her waking up in the ambulance, before he was carted off to the island. He spent his first two years there drinking away the pain until a night with a stranger left him with baby Axel. At first Callaghan found this as a chance at redeeming himself. He would raise his new son with all the love he had given Abigail. But as the years went on and he got older, Callaghan's depression began to take hold of him. He just simply lost hope in his redemption. Axel could never replace Abigail, and he made sure to let Axel know this every chance he could get.

Axel had spent most of his childhood by himself. The abandoned manufacturing factory they had taken residence in was quiet and peaceful. He found all sorts of interesting things while exploring the empty halls. Abandoned projects and plenty of spare parts. By the time he was 11, he had taught himself how to fix the building's generator and wiring. When he was 13 he had dozens of small contraptions to help him with things like cleaning and repairing. But instead of being proud, Callaghan had simply belittled Axel, saying how his sister could build them faster and more efficiently. Axel's dislike for this siter he had never even met before grew and grew. So he strived to get better, but decided the keep his new contraptions to himself, deciding he would finally prove his father wrong one day.

And now here he was, 14 years old and preparing to enter his freshman year. Originally he had been dreading going to Dragon Hall. He had managed to avoid going to school all together, learning instead from books and manuals he managed to scavenge or simply just from experience. But his father had decided enough was enough and demanded that Axel enroll himself. It was a scary thought. Axel didn't really enjoy the company of other people, believing that they just got in the way or acted just like his father. But now he was to attend Auradon Prep. He didn't know which was worse.

Finally Robert Callaghan appeared. Leaning heavily on his cane, he simply grunted at Axel and continued walking. Slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder, Axel got up and followed him, and they began their long trek in silence.

They were the last to arrive at the bridge. He recognized Helen LaRue from the times he had to retrieve his father from the tavern. She was talking with a younger boy, whom Axel recognized as Ace of Hearts from his red tipped hair and ace symbol on his belt buckle. Gaston was meanwhile trying to impress the Queen of Hearts by flexing, but she was having none of it and threaten to behead him before he finally left he alone, choosing instead to talk with Dr. Facilier instead. Dr. Facilier's daughter Fae was staring at Shan Yu and his son Sheen Yu with obviously curiosity.

The only one Axel didn't know was a girl with blue hair twisted into low buns and a strange little man who was floating on top of a winged staff that looked much too large for him. Against his better judgment, Axel's curiosity got the better of him, and he made his way over to the older girl.

"Hi," he said, sticking out his hand. "I'm Axel, I haven't seen you around before."

The girl hesitated, staring down at Axel, who was a good foot shorter than her. "Azure," she finally said, shaking his hand. "Hade's daughter."

"Ah, that would explain it. Isn't is locked up in the Underworld or something?" He adjusted the bag on his shoulder. Hades was known throughout the island as the fallen god, banished and alone. He was s upraised to find that he actually had a child of his own.

"Yep, any bloodline of Hades' is cursed to remain in the Underworld for the rest of their days as punishment." She smirked. "Well that is until our dear King decided otherwise."

Axel chuckled looking up at the small man, who was now dozing on his staff. "It's funny," he said, "I always imagined Hades would be, I don't know, taller maybe?"

There was a pause before Azure doubled over in laughter. "Wait, you think this is my father?"

"Well, I mean…I just thought…"

"No, no," Azure managed to compose herself before turning to the man in question. "This isn't my father." She kicked the staff out from underneath him. "This is just my Uncle Hermes, one of the good gods, if you will."

Hermes, who had managed to catch himself before face planting on the ground, merely grunted at Azure before readjusting himself atop his perch.

"Oh my bad." A blush rose o Axel's checks. He knew this was a bad idea.

"Hey no sweat kid." Azure patted his shoulder, pointing out towards the bridge. "Look here come our ride."

The limo, using what Axel guessed was Auradon magic, was driving through golden hoops in the air before effortlessly making its way through the barrier. A man dressed in a black suit stepped out, opening the trunk to the limo. "Time to go," he said, adjusting his shades.

Axel gave a quick nod to Azure, before making his way back towards his father. Everyone else was saying their respective good byes. Helen had managed to grab her father in a big hug. Fae seemed to be receiving some last minute instructions from Dr. Facilier. At one point Fae sent a quick glance over at Axel, but her shrugged it off. Shan and Sheen Yu merely shook hands before Sheen picked up his bag and headed over to the trunk. Ace and his mother were exchanging brief words before she merely turned on her heel and left, armed guards accompanying her. Even Azure had her goodbyes, sharing a quick joke with Hermes.

Axel stood in front of his father. "Well, this is it." His father merely stared back. Axel could have sworn he saw a glimmer of something in his father's eyes (maybe regret), before Callaghan grunted his good bye and looked away. Axel sighed. "Bye father." He left, dropping off his bag in the trunk before taking a seat in the limo next to Sheen.

This was it. Auradon, here they come.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! sorry it took so long. Things like writer's block and work got in the way. I also got to go to Disneyland recently, where I met Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, and Cruella deVil (who is fantastic to take pictures with by the way).**

 **But to make up for the delay, this chapter is a little longer. I'm having so much fun creating these backstories, but I promising soon it'll just be action, revenge, and navigating the high school.**

 **Couple things: I own nothing except my own OC, and sorry again for any spelling or grammar errors.**

 **Enjoy!**


	4. Arrival

The first thing Ace noticed was the shiny wrappers in bowls. Immediately the new girl, Azure he figured, gasped and quickly grabbed one. When she was met with looks of confusion and judgment (mainly from Fae) as she began to unwrap her strange object. "What?" she said. "It's just chocolate?"

"Chocolate?" Ace asked, carefully grabbing one.

"It's a delicacy in Auradon," she said, before throwing one to Ace. "My mother used to bring me some when I was younger. Try it."

One by one everyone grabbed a piece and found that the "chocolate" was amazing, by far the best thing many of them had ever had. Ace quickly grabbed a handful, discovering various different versions of this sweet.

A quick cough from Fae caught his attention. She was staring at all of them expectantly, smooshing the empty wrapper between her fingers. "Do we all know what we need to do?"

"Not really," Ace leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. "Mother mentioned something about revenge and such, but there were no specific details for what we each were doing."

He smirked at the scowl on her face. He enjoyed annoying her at school and there was no way he was going to stop anytime soon.

"This is serious. Our parents are counting on us. We free them or we fail. And we cannot afford that." Ace sobered up, picturing his mother in one of her famous tantrums. He shuddered, trying to imagine it. If he failed to free her, it would be worse than anything he could ever imagine.

"So," Helen said, "what do we do? I mean besides the obvious? We have the basic plan, but what else?"

"Easy, we need to get close to our precious king and our old friends." Fae sneered. "They'll be on to us. They'll know we have something planned. So we must make them believe that we wish to free ourselves from our parents. Become friends." A smirk crossed her face. "And then, we they least expect it, when we finally have their trust, then we strike."

"It's going to take a long time." Axel looked uncomfortable. _Right,_ Ace remembered, _Callaghan's kid wasn't in on it._

"That's true."Fae leaned toward him. 'But with us all working together we can do it. We are all in this together, aren't we?" She placed her hand on his shoulder and Ace could have sworn he saw a faint green glow coming from it. It would seem that her voodoo magic was in full effect.

Axel stammered, a blush rising to his cheeks. "Oh course, I mean why not?" Ace almost felt sorry for the youngest kid. Almost.

"Good, then it's settled." Fae leaned back.

"Make friends, break their trust, take over. Easy-peasy." Ace laughed. This might be too easy.

* * *

"Ben, are you alright?"

Ben had been fidgeting, bouncing on his toes as they waited for the limo to arrive. He turned to his girlfriend. "Did we do the right thing?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we did the right thing, of course. But are we ready? What if we can't prepare for whatever they might have planned?"

Mal placed her hand on his shoulder. "Ben, we're ready. Everyone is in and ready to help out, okay? We just need to find something they're interested in. If we show them that there's more to offer here in Auradon than their parents could ever offer, then there's a greater chance they'll turn good."

"And if they don't?"

"We're ready."

They smiled, an unspoken agreement between them. They could handle anything. Ben chuckled. "I don't know why I'm such a mess today."

"You're always a mess," Mal said, earning another chuckle from Ben. She straightened his tie, continuing, "But this is important to you. You want it to go well, to prove to everyone that this is the right thing to do. And no matter what, I'll always believe in you."

Before Ben could say anything else, the clatter of the school's band, interrupted him. He sent a quick wave to Doug as they began to set up.

"I can't believe you invited the band."

"What's wrong with that? School spirit, a warm welcome. Isn't that what we want?"

"She's just jealous I snagged the cute one," Evie said, walking over. She waved off to Doug and smirk at Mal.

"Of course," Mal mockingly placed her hand over her heart. "How could I ever let that hunk of a man slip by me?"

"Hey!" Evie lightly punched Mal's arm. "Be nice."

"Always am. Where's Carlos?"

"Running late." Ben said. "But he said he'd be here soon. Ah there he is." He pointed to the younger boy who was jogging from the great hall, Dude chasing behind him.

"I'm here, I'm here! Sorry, had a problem with a client." He smiled, quickly scooping Dude up in his arms. "They here yet?"

"No," Ben said, staring out at the driveway. "Any moment though." He glanced over at Headmistress Fairy Godmother, who was giving a quick prep talk to her daughter and Audrey. Banners were up, the band was set up, and everything was ready to go. Suddenly he heard the familiar rumble of the limo. "They're here! They're here! Quickly!" He waved frantically towards the band, which earned a chuckle from Mal.

As the limo approached, students were waving flags and the band was play the school's fight song. Ben, Mal, Evie, Carlos, and Fairy Godmother stood at the front, ready to greet the new students. Mal gripped Ben's hand and gave him a reassuring squeeze as the limo stopped and the doors opened. One by one the occupants stepped out. Mal smiled as she saw one of them, a girl with blue hair, quickly stuff some more chocolate into here pockets.

"Well, they're much more graceful then we were, that's for sure." Carlos said, adjusting his hold on Dude. Mal, Evie, and Carlos recognized most of the students from their time at Dragon Hall, but back then they had mostly kept their distance, choosing to stay in their own little group.

"Welcome to Auradon Prep!" Ben held his hands out in welcome. "My name is King Ben, and it is my honor to welcome you here today."

One of the girls, Mal noticed, gave him a wary look before putting on the biggest smile she could muster and shook his hand. "My name is Fae. Thank you so much Your Highness for this opportunity. Please, allow me to introduce everyone." She gestured to the rest of the group and pointed at the girl who was hoarding chocolate. "This is Azure, and next to her is Axel." Both politely smiled. "Next we have Helen and Sheen."

"It's Chris actually." Sheen step forward, a nervous grin on his face. "It's my middle name. I'd prefer to go by it." Ben smiled and nodded in understanding.

"And finally we have Ace." Fae gestured to the final boy, who, Mal noticed, was trying his best not to stare at Carlos.

"Welcome everyone." Fairy Godmother stepped forward. "I am your Headmistress here. Please if you have any questions, feel free to ask me at any time. But for now let's get you all settled in. Come along now."

* * *

Ace had never seen a place so big before. His mother had mentioned on many occasion how large her castle had been, but Ace was completely sure that her castle had nothing on Auradon Prep. Just the great hall itself was magnificent and sported the banners of all of the combined kingdoms. He glanced at the king, who was busy chatting with another student about something. _Does he even realize what he's done by letting us come here?_

"Alright everyone," King Ben turned towards everyone, clipboard in hand. "Let's show you all your room assignments." He began to walk, the previous Isle of the Lost children trailing behind him. "Now our floors here are co-ed but the rooms themselves are not. There are two students per room and each room is connected to its own private bathroom. Class schedules will be found in your rooms. Now we do have one more day until classes actually begin, so tomorrow we are having a club fair in the main courtyard. Feel free to check it out, or explore the campus. The cafeteria is open from 7am to 10pm and we have a fully stocked kitchen if you should need a midnight snack." He winked at Mal, who only swatted his arm in return.

"Now here's our first room." Ben glanced down at the clipboard. "Fae and Azure, this is your room." The two girls merely glanced at each other, before entering. Fae gave a quick nod to everyone before shutting the door behind her.

The group continued down the hall for a bit before stopping at another door. "Axel, this is your room. You'll be living with Carlos here."

"Hope you don't mind dogs." Carlos laughed as he let go of the mutt he'd been carrying. "Come on, I'll help you move in." Carlos placed a hand on Axel's shoulder and for a moment there Ace felt a twinge of jealousy, but he ignored it. Axel nodded at his new roommate, before the two entered.

"Our next room is going to be Chris and Ace's." King Ben gestured at another room that was just slightly down the hall. "And Helen, you'll be rooming with one of our other students. I hope you don't mind." Everyone merely nodded. They just wanted to get settled in. "Very well, Ace, Chris, here you go." He opened the door for them. "Hope to see you guys at the fair tomorrow." And then he left.

Ace took in his surroundings. The room itself wasn't that bad. Two beds on opposite sides of the room, two closets, and a table in the middle. He made his was over to the bed closest to the bathroom and dropped his bag. "I'm going to take this bed, that cool?"

"Sure, no problem." Sheen (or Chris Ace corrected himself) placed his bag on the other bed, before picking up a piece on paper that was on the table. "Class schedules." He handed the other paper to Ace, who scanned over it quickly.

"History, Physics, Pre-Calc, English, and Remedial Goodness?" Ace scoffed at the last one. "They really don't trust us, do they?"

Chris merely shrugged. "It's to be expected."

"This sounds great already." Ace threw the paper behind him, before turning to his bag and beginning to unpack. This was going to be a long year.

* * *

 **Hey everyone sorry for the wait, but here it is! I'm already working on the next chapter, so hopefully I'll have it up soon.**

 **I own nothing but my own OC, sorry for spelling/grammar mistakes, and reviews are welcome!**


	5. The Fair

Sunday morning came and went as Fae finally made herself get out of bed around 11 am. The bed had been surprisingly too comfortable and she never wanted to leave. But the fact that she needed to become familiar with the campus (and Azure had left the room long ago) eventually made her leave the comfort of her new bed. While her bed on the Isle wasn't too bad (perks of being the headmaster's daughter) is paled in comparison to the beds here at the school.

She sat at her vanity, trying to decide how she should present herself today. She caught a glimpse in the mirror of something dark moving across the room. She smiled. It would seem her father's old friends from the other side had found her. Fae had been studying the concepts of voodoo magic her whole life, but now she finally had the chance to test her abilities. She knew she had to start small, the persuasion magic she had used on Axel yesterday took more of her energy than she thought it would. She had months to build up her magic before she really needed to use it. So she would try a new spell every day until she had finally mastered her abilities.

She looked at her closet and saw her favorite magenta sundress, maroon cardigan, and black Doc Martens. _This will do_ , she thought. Summoning her energy, she silently called forth to her shadow friends, asking if they could bring the items over. She knew it was a trivial task to ask for, but she had to start somewhere. Sure enough the items in question began to float over. While to anyone looking on, it would merely look like the objects were floating on their own, Fae knew better. One glance in the mirror and she could clearly see the shadow figures who were helping her.

She made sure to thank them (because even shadowy figures have their standards), Fae got dressed. Glancing at her hair in the mirror, she was pleased to see that her dark curls had settled into place. She was certainly a sight to see. Her striking purple eyes stood out in comparison to her caramel colored skin and Fae smirked knowing that her appearance was just one of the things that helped her get her way. She did rely mostly on her charming and cunning words, but appearances never hurt.

She glanced out her window to see that the club fair was already in full swing. It'd be a good opportunity to get a feel of the student body, so she headed out, quickly stopping by the cafeteria to grab a quick lunch. If she thought the beds had been impressive, the food was even better! The courtyard was bustling with students visiting all of the booths. Club members yelled out encouragements for visitors and bowls of chocolate were placed at each table. Fae glanced around. She could see booths for sports teams, chess, cheerleading, technology, sciences, and more. She was slightly surprised when she saw Evie behind the Chemistry club's booth. From what she could remember, Evie had been concerned about nothing but her looks. Fae was also surprised to Carlos at eh tourney booth. At Dragon Hall, Carlos had been one of the least athletic kids out there. Fae had been willing to overlook Carlos's sudden love for dogs yesterday, but it would seem that Auradon had truly changed him.

She was interrupted when a younger boy suddenly jumped over from the wall next to her, shouting "Parkour!" before running away. He was quickly followed by a similar looking boy who only shouted "God damnit Ali! Give it back!" Siblings, she assumed.

Fae was just about to leave, when she noticed a booth with a huge sign above it reading "Auradon Prep's Dance Team". Back on the island, dancing had been her get away from life. There were no teams or classes back there, but her mother had taught her everything that she knew. Her mother had been a professional dancer before becoming a magician's assistant and then eventually Dr. Facilier's wife. Before she passed away when Fae was 15, she had taught her everything about dancing. Fae believed that she was the best on the island, but now here at Auradon that might not be true anymore.

She walked over to the booth, scanning the available brochure, when a voice interrupted her.

"Hi!" She turned to see sophomore girl with blonde braided hair looking up at her from behind the booth.

"Hi." Fae said cautiously. People rarely just randomly greeted her. She was a force to be reckoned with so people kept their distance.

"My name's Annabelle! Are you interested in learning about our dance team?"

"Maybe. I was seeing if it was worth my time."

"Oh it is!" Annabelle quickly unfolded the brochure, pointing to various sections. "Our team competes all over Auradon against other schools. We've managed to win at nationals for the past few years. We specializes in modern, ballroom, and lyrical dance, but we're always looking to expand. We also have guest instructors come in from time to time, so it's a great chance to make connections if this is a profession you're hoping to enter." She handed Fae the brochure, beaming at her. "Try outs are next Friday in the gym at 4 pm. You interested?"

"Perhaps." Fae thought for a moment. It would be nice to actually get back to dancing, and perhaps even expand on her skills. "What are try outs like?"

"Oh they're really simple! We teach you a quick routine which you'll preform for us. We judge on execution, how quickly you pick up the routine, and stage presence. Almost everyone makes the cut, the try outs just help us decide on who might be a solo dancer and things like that."

"Are you the captain?"

"Oh no, Gwen's our captain. She's Alice's daughter. I'm just on the team. Maybe one day though, right?" Anabelle laughed.

"Shouldn't she be working the booth then? I mean, why are you the only one here?"

"I volunteered. Someone will take over in about an hour. So, will we be seeing you at try outs?"

Fae thought for a moment. "Maybe. Let me think about it some more." She turned to leave.

"Wait! I didn't catch your name."

"It's Fae. Fae Facilier." She smirked at Annabelle's shocked expression, but was surprised when it quickly disappeared.

"Alright Fae. See you around!"

Fae headed back to her room, brochure still in hand. Perhaps, just perhaps, she could have some sort of fun while she was here.

* * *

Meanwhile Chris's morning had been relatively the same. He found that the bed was much more comfortable than sleeping on the ground and the cafeteria found was to die for. He now found himself in the middle of the hub-bub of the club fair. So far he hadn't seen any of the other villain's kids, though he could have sworn he saw Helen at the book club's booth, but he brushed it off. He wasn't entirely sure if he actually wanted to join a club. Back on the island he had always focused on honing his skills under the watchful and judging eye of his father. He knew how to hunt and how to fight with either a weapon (usually a sword or dagger) or with his fists. He had also become a bit of a thief, relying on his quiet personality to help him. He never stole much, and when he did, it was only to entertain himself. He usually spent most of his days silently observing people, learning their quirks and weaknesses. His father said it was a useful skill to have when planning an attack, but Chris mainly used it for sketching. He enjoyed drawing other people as they went about their everyday lives. He kept this hobby a secret from his father though, fearing the repercussions.

Suddenly aware of the heat, Chris pulled his long hair back into a ponytail. Part of him knew it had been a bad idea to dress in all black, but the other part of him didn't care. It was how he always dressed, and nothing was going to change that any time soon. He glanced around at the booths, before seeing one marked "Tourney Team". He recognized Carlos, who was sitting behind the booth, petting the strange dog that had been with him yesterday. Curious, he decided to check it out.

Carlos perked up at the sight of Chris approaching. "Hey! Chris, right! How's it going?"

Chris merely nodded, looking at poster board that explained the game's rules. "I never figured you for the sport's type," he finally said.

Carlos merely laughed. "Jay insisted. He was the star player. I'm alright. But it's fun. The team's great." He paused for a moment. "But what about you? Are you interested?"

Chris glanced at the poster board again. "I don't think so. I'm not big into team sports."

"Understandable. So what are you into?"

Chris paused, thinking. "Is there any fighting clubs or something?"

"Fighting?" Carlos looked slightly uneasy, which made Chris chuckle.

"Sorry, nothing too violent for the princes here. I guess I mean more of combat clubs?"

"Oh! Okay, well we've got fencing." He pointed at another booth across the courtyard. "Chad Charming runs it. He's on the tourney team too. He's alright. He's come around recently, but he still might treat you a bit… differently." Chris merely nodded. "But you should still check it out! Here, I'll take you!"

Before Chris could even say anything, Carlos had hopped up from his seat and signaled to another student that he was leaving. So they made their way over, with Carlos pointing out various booths and Chris listening. The strange dog trailed after them, occasionally weaving through Carlos's legs. Finally the reached the fencing booth, which sported pictures from events as well as some of the uniform pieces and equipment.

"Chad!" Carlos waved to an older blonde student who was demonstrating to some students some fencing techniques. "Chad, this is Chris. He's interested in fencing."

"Really?" Chad gave Chris a questionable look, who just shrugged in response. _Might as well see what this is about,_ Chris thought.

"Well we have practices twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 7pm in the gym. Anyone can join. There's no try outs or anything. This year we're entering the national tournament so everyone's going to be working really hard to get a spot. You interested?"

Chris glanced at the pictures, seeing a smiling Chad holding up several shiny medals. "Sure," he said. "Could be fun.'

"Great, first meeting is this Tuesday. We'll get you all set up with the proper equipment. Real practice starts on Thursday." Chad held out his hand. "See you then Chris."

Chris paused before returning the handshake. "Until then."

As Chad returned to his demonstration, Carlos, who was beaming at this time, lead Chris back to the center of the courtyard. "This is great! You'll love it, I know it! Well Dude and I have to get back to our booth. See ya later Chris!" And he ran off, with the dog (whom Chris now assumed was Dude) chasing after him.

With one last glance at the fencing booth, Chris returned to his exploration of the campus.

* * *

 **Faster update, just like I promised!**

 **I own nothing but my own OC(s), sorry for spelling/grammar mistakes, and reviews are welcome!**

 **Enjoy!**


	6. First Day

When Monday morning arrived, Helen debated leaving her room. Her first class was going to be Remedial Goodness, and she was already dreading every moment of it. On the one hand, she knew that she had the at least put in some effort to show that she was "serious about being good", but on the other, her roommate had never showed and part of her wanted to enjoy the quiet while it lasted. Finally, she pushed herself off from the bed and began to prepare for the day. Once she was satisfied, she swung her backpack over her shoulder and headed out. She spotted Chris leaving his room and gave him a quick wave.

"Ready for Remedial Goodness?"

Chris scoffed, adjusting his own bag.

"Did Ace already leave?"

Chris merely shrugged. "Might already be there."

"Ace early to a class? That would be a first." They began to trek down the hall towards the main campus. "Wasn't it his thing to be late to every class?" She paused, mockingly imitating the younger boy. "As royal chooses when he wants to arrive!" She paused, anticipating some sort of reaction or acknowledgement from Chris, only to find that he was now several feet ahead of her. She sighed and continued after him in silence.

When they arrived at the classroom, Helen was surprised to find that they were the last to arrive. Even Ace, who sat smugly in his seat with his feet propped up, had beaten them. She sat down next to Azure, who was lazily playing with her orbs of fire. Headmistress Godmother was nowhere to be seen.

"So," Azure said, "does this mean no class? Cause I am very okay with that."

Before Helen could respond, a ruffled Fairy Godmother entered the classroom. "Sorry about that. There was a minor mishap in the cafeteria. Now," she turned to face them, carefully eyeing Azure's flames, "welcome to Remedial Goodness. Here we will reach your fullest potential as citizens of Auradon, focusing on what makes a hero a hero. This class will act as a sort of orientation for the school as well as a study hall at times. But in the mean time I must ask that all magic and magical abilities be restricted to outside the classroom." She gave a pointed look at Azure, who shrugged as she extinguished her flame. "Thank you, now today will be orientation for your class."

She began to pass out packets to everyone. Helen filled through hers, trying to make sense of the schedules and lists.

"Now, we've had some recent changes to our curriculum and scheduling in the past few years. For example, you will all be attending six classes, but there will only be three classes a day. We believe that it would be most beneficial for our students this way so they have move time to study and participate in extracurricular activities. Each class in roughly an hour and a half long, with a 45 minute lunch break right before your last class. I know you all received your class schedules over the weekend, and if you'd take a look at them, there should only be five classes listed."

Sure enough, Helen could only see five classes on her paper: Remedial Goodness, Advanced Lit, Calculus I, Economics, and Physics.

"Today we will be selecting your sixth class; your elective." The headmistress passed out another list. "Here are all of the elective classes we offer. Please let me know when you've selected yours, so I can add it to your schedule."

Helen quickly scanned the list. Threw re the usual classes like woodworking and art. But a few of them amused her. Mining? Animal Calling? She shook her head in disbelief before really searching for a class. Might as well find a class she might actually enjoy, right? A few of them piqued her interest, like weight lifting and hunting. But as soon as she saw "Creative Writing" towards the bottom of the list, she knew she had found her class.

Back on the island one of her hidden passions had been reading. She was 7 when she stumbled upon her first book, an old tattered copy of _King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table_. Curious, she dove in, reading in secret under her covers at night, and hiding the book under a loose floorboard. It had taken her a while to finish, but she was completely enamored by the story. She knew that despite what her father thought about reading, much less women reading, she needed to find more books. So she began to scavenge in her spare time, saving every single thrown out book she could find. Soon, her loose floorboard could no longer hold any of her books. When she was 10, Helen found an old abandoned shack on the outskirts of town. The roof was slightly caving in and rats had taken residence there, but after a few week of cleaning and repairing, she had her own personal, and more importantly secret, library. She was a little sad when she had to leave it behind, but she slipped her copy of _King Arthur_ into her suitcase just because.

And now, she could have the chance to learn how to create those stories that had captivated her so as a child. Sure, she needed to focus on the mission, but why not take a little pleasure in it too?

She circled the class and handed her sheet to the headmistress, who merely nodded. If she was surprised by Helen's choice, she gave no indication of it. And soon everyone else had handed in their sheets.

"Very good," the headmistress said. "Your schedules have now been updated. And now, we shall begin class." Helen stifled a groan as Fairy Godmother turned towards the board and began to write "How to be Good".

By the time her last class had ended, Helen felt exhausted. Sure there wasn't actually a whole lot today in terms of learning, seeing as it was the first day and all, but she felt a bit of dread knowing that she would have to sit through most of the year under her teacher's and classmate's judging looks. Until she proved herself, she was still just the kid of a villain. The fact that her father had almost killed the king's father probably didn't help her in any way.

She made her way to her dorm, shoving the door open before she realized the she wasn't alone. Opened boxes and suitcases were scattered around the room and a girl roughly her own age was balancing on the back of a chair, attempting to hang a purple and yellow banner. The girl only slightly jumped at the noise of the slamming door but managed to keep her balance.

"Oh, hi!" she said, jumping off of the chair. She brushed the wrinkles away from her brown vest before extending a hand. "My name's Evelyn. Sorry I wasn't here sooner. My parents wanted to spend more time with me before I left. You're Helen, right?"

Helen glanced over her new roommate. She was dressed simply; jeans, brown boots, and the vest paired over a blue shirt. What caught her eye was the golden necklace with what looked like a lantern on it. Glancing at the banner, which she now saw had a golden sun on it, she shook her hand. "Let me guess; Rapunzel's daughter?"

Evelyn laughed. "Yep. Let me guess the banner gave it away, right?" She dug into one of the open boxes, grabbing various articles of clothing and, Helen noticed with interest, large sturdy volumes. "Sorry it's such a mess at the moment. Had to just throw everything in here before I missed class. I'll be done soon, I swear."

"Hey no worries, I think I'm just going to check in on my…" Helen paused, trying to find the right word to describe her relationship with the other kids. "…friends."

Evelyn took no notice of her pause. "Alright then, guess I'll see you later roomie!"

Deciding that, _well she'll probably be an alright roommate_ , Helen navigated her way to Fae's room. Maybe they could do some planning tonight? Unfortunately, no one was there, so Helen made her way across campus until she found herself outside of the massive library doors. Her breath hitched as she took in the magnificence of the grand building. Hands shaking, she pulled the doors open and was greeted with what looked like hundreds of grand bookshelves stocked with more books than she ever thought she could imagine.

 _This will do perfectly._

* * *

Axel's second day of classes was far more enjoyable than his first. English and P.E. had never been his strongest skills, but today all of his classes felt more practical to him: Geometry, Biology, and finally Robotics. Sure, he was the most accomplished engineer on the island (next to his father), but he felt an overwhelming need to enroll in the class. It had taken a little bit of convincing for the headmistress to agree, usually that class was for sophomores and above, but finally she agreed to make an exception.

It was his last class of the day, and as he was more than eager. Finally a chance to actually learn, rather than attempt to teach himself. Deciding not to draw attention to himself, he chose a seat in the back corner of the lab where he could still easily see the whiteboard. Slowly the classroom began to fill up and no paid much attention him, thankfully. As everyone mingled and said their hellos, he glanced around the room, taking note of the inspirational posters and the overly scrubbed surfaces.

Finally a man, who Axel assumed was their teacher, entered, immediately drawing everyone's attention. Some of the older students frantically waved to him, while he merely smiled in return. He was a smartly dressed man, his lime green sweater vest popping against his darker skin, and his hair looked like it had been wrestled back into a bun.

"Good afternoon class! My name is Mr. Ginger, and welcome to Robotics!" His smile stretched across his face to show his pearly whites. "Here each of you will learn the basics of creating a working machine, and as your final assignment," he paused as he quickly grabbed a stack of paper to pass out, "you will be designing and building something of your choice. It can be as simple or eccentric as you would like, as long as I can see that you have indeed learned something from this class." Satisfied that every student had gotten a syllabus, Mr. Ginger returned to the front of the classroom and grabbed a clipboard.

"Now before we go over the syllabus, I'd like to take role, just so I can begin to learn everyone's names and make sure that someone isn't in the wrong class." He winked, which caused a few laughs among the students. Axel slumped into his seat. Sure his father wasn't as well-known as say Jafar was, but he was sure that a few kids in this class would recognize his last name and the fact that it made him a villain's kid.

It unsurprisingly didn't take very long to get to his name. What did surprise him however was the way Mr. Ginger had reacted.

There was a short pause before Mr. Ginger read his name, which tipped Axel off that he was next on the list. "Axel Callaghan?"

"Here." Axel barley even heard his own voice, and meekly raised his hand. Mr. Ginger stared at him with such intensity, with what Axel could only describe as a pity. He looked away. He hated pity. The students, sensing that there was something wrong, or at least off, began to look at Axel with mixed curiosity, before Mr. Ginger cleared his throat and finished off roll call.

The rest of class passed with no problems. Despite his hesitations with Mr. Ginger, Axel found that he was an enjoyable teacher who was passionate about what he was teaching. As he made his way out of the class, Mr. Ginger motioned to him to stay behind. Axel was reluctant, but he knew that he couldn't afford to upset a teacher, especially on the first day of class.

"Axel, hey." Mr. Ginger awkwardly stuck his hand out, as if expecting Axel to shake it. After realizing how silly that must have been, he quickly retracted it. "Um, I just wanted to say hi and make sure that you were settling in well."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Good! That's good to hear." There was an awkward moment as Axel tried to figure out what it was that Mr. Ginger wanted.

"Sir, if there's a problem…"

"No! No, no problem." Mr. Ginger sighed, trying to find the words to say. "I asked you to stay because I just wanted to know, how's your father doing?"

"My father?" Why would anyone care enough to know how his father was doing?

"It's just that, Mr. Callaghan was my mentor before, well, before he was sent to the Isle." When Axel didn't respond, Mr. Ginger continued. "Well it wasn't just me he mentored, there was a whole bunch of us and we all looked up to him." He paused. "None of us thought he should be condemned to there. He just needed help."

Axel was stunned. He knew that his father had been a renowned professor, but he never imagined that people had actually cared about him.

"So, is he okay?"

Axel paused, trying to decide how to describe his father "He's… he's doing alright."

"That's good to hear." Mr. Ginger seemed so relieved, it scarred Axel a bit. "Thank you for letting me know."

Axel nodded, adjusting his bag. "If that's all sir?"

"Oh yes, sorry I don't mean to keep you. Just, if you get the chance to talk to him soon, just tell him that Wasabi say hi, alright?"

Axel nodded and made his way out of the classroom, more confused than ever before. Suddenly Robotics class seemed more daunting than before.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since an update. I recently moved and things have been crazy trying to settle in, but I promise that I haven't given up on this story. I have so much planned for it.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


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